Rail chair and fastener.



H. H. WGGINS. RAIL GHAIR AND FASTENER.

1,042,993. l Patented o@t.29,1912.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

HENRY HARRY WG''INS, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA;

nur. CHAIR AND. FASTENER.

" Bpeei'catioii of Letters Patent.

Application led Haroh'l, 1912. Serial No. 680,872.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HARRY WIG- GiNs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at' Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Sta-te of Pennsyl` Vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Chairs and Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being compa-nying drawing.

This invention relates to rail. chairs and fasteners, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a rail chair that can be used in connection with wooden, metallic or composite ties for supporting rails, whereby the rails cannot become accidentally displaced.

Another object of this invention is to proy vide stron and durable rail fasteners'that can be easily and quickly placed in position to firmly brace rails.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel brace thatcan be used in connection with a guard rail in connection with iny improved fasteners, the 'brace coperating. with the fasteners in maintaining the guard rail a prescribeddistance from a main rail.

vA still further object of this invention is to accomplish the above resultsby a me' chanioal construction that is highly eiiicient 'for the purposes for which it is intended in to be hereinafter specifically described and' a side elevation of the chair and rail fastener in connection with a guard rail, Fig. 4 is-a plan of the same, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a. chair designed for a rail Joint, Fig. 64

is a similar view of a chair designed for two rails, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a de tached rail fastener, Fig. 8 is a similar view of a fastener designed for a rail joint, Fig.

9 is a perspective view of a brace member v for a guard rail, Flg. 10 is a similar view of another brace member. 11 is a perspechad therein to the ac-v are provided with slots.8.

. tive view of a locking bar, and Fig.` 12 isa side elevation of a modified form of fastener.

vThe reference numeral 1 denotes a chair` in the form of a plate that is rectangular in plan and having the central part thereof of a greater thickness than the ends of said plate. The ends of the plate 'are provided vwith notches 2 for spikes 3 that are employed for securing the chair to a wooden tie 4. Bolts or other fastening means can be substituted'for the spikes '3 when the chair is placed upon ametallic or concrete tie. The top ofthe plate is provided with .tapering vdove-tail grooves and 6, -the groove 5 taper'mg'in an vopposite direction from the groove 6. The .walls of the grooves 5 and 6, adjacent to the large ends of said grooves are provided with oppositely dispose seats 7, and the sides of the chair, adjacent to the large ends of said grooves,

The chair provides a seatV for a single yrail orpthe confronting vends of rails 9 and after said rails are placed upon the chair, spikes are driven throughthe slots 8 into l the tie 4 to hold the rails in position.

The chair fasteners shown'in Figs. v1, 2 and 8 comprise blocks 11 havin integral splice bars 12 for bracing the sides of the rails 9; The blocks 11 are provided with ratentedoct. 29,1912.

dove-tail taperingtongues 13 to slide in the.

grooves 5 and 6.l The large ends]4 of the tongues 13 are cut away, as .at 14, to provide recesses extending under the blocks 11. After the fasteners have beenplaced in positionv and driven until the recesses 14' clear the seats 7,1ockin bars 15 lare then placed in 'the seats 7 of the chair and if the fasteners are then shifted or worked back in the opposite direction, the blocks 11 will extend over a portion of the locking bars 15 due to the fact that the locking bars will extend into the recesses 14 and under such conditions prevent] accidental 'displacement of saidl bars. 1

V lVhlen asinglerail is to'be supported uponthe chair the fastener shown in Fig. 7

can be used, the-block 11 of sai'd r fastener having'theend thereof shaped to brace the side ofthe rail'. This-fastener isthe same as the;fastenershWninFig: 8 with the eX- cept-ion that thesplic'e-l 12: isdispensed.

with. v v

Reference will now be had tol Figs. 3, 4,

6, 9 and 10 showing the chair and fasteners in connection with a guardrail.'` The chair` is designatedl and is similar to, the chair l-with the following exceptions. It is of y a greater length and intermediate the ends thereof the side walls have spike slots 17.

18 denotes a' main rail located upon the chair and 19 a guard rail. After these rails have been positioned upon the chair, spikes 2Ol are driven inthe slots -8 and. 17 to hold.

the rails inposition. Fasteners. similar'to that shown in'Fi'g. 7 are used and in addi-v tion to these fasteners, bracing membersv21 and 22 are placed between the rails. The

members -21 land 22. are in the form of blocks having heads 23 engaging the sides of the rails 18 and 19. The member 22 has a dovetail groove 24 to receive a dove-tail tongue 425v carried by the member 21,. and `after these members have been placed inl position,

A a eotter pin26 is placed in the Vend Vof" the tongue 25 to lock the bracing members together.

In Fig. 12 there is illustrated a modification of the invention, wherein the. chair 1 has a shoulder 1 that serves functionally as an inner rail fastener, said shoulder en-v gagingft-he inner edge of the base flange of the rail, while an outer fastener, similar to that illustrated in Fig.` 7, is used to brace the outer lside of the rail.

It isthought that the manner of-assembling the'rail fasteners will bev apparent without further description, and while in p the drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be un-v derstood that the structural elements are susceptible of such( variations as fall within the scope of the 'appended claims.

'What I claim is z- 1. In a rail chair, the combination with rails, ,of an oblong plate adapted to sup- Gopiies of thispatent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing` the Washington, D. C.

port rails, said plate having dove-tail tapering grooves formed therein with one ofsaid lgrooves tapering in an opposite direction romthe other of said grooves, the walls of Asaid grooves having oppositely disposed seats formed therein, fasteners having dovetail tapering tongues adapted to enga e in the groovesof said plate, the tongues o said s lfasteners being cut away, locking bars ar- Aparallel rails, of -an oblong plate adapted to support rails, said plate having dove-tail tapering grooves vformed therein with one of said 'Grooves tapering in an opposite directi'on from the'other of said grooves, the walls of said grooves having oppositely disposed seats formed therein, fasteners having dove-tail vtapering tongues adapted to engage inthe grooves of said plate, the tongues of said fasteners being outv4 away, locking bars arranged in the seats of said plate and extending transversely of the out away portions of the tongues of said fasteners, spikes coperatingwith said fasteners in retaining said-'rails upon said plate, bracin members arranged 'between said rails, an a taperlng dove-tail tongue carried by one of said members and engaging in the other of said members.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY HARRY WIGGINS. Witnesses:

MAX I-I. SRoLovrrz, CHRIs'rINA T. I-Ioon.

"f Commissioner of Patents, 

